BrahMos gives Pakistan sleepless nights: Amit Shah lauds UP's defence push

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said BrahMos missiles made in Uttar Pradesh were giving Pakistan "sleepless nights" and the AK-203 assault rifle made in Amethi had become a weapon against "Naxalites and terrorists".

He made the remarks while inaugurating the fourth edition of the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show in Greater Noida.

Rejecting criticism of the economy, Shah said India had not only maintained but "strengthened" its growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite global upheaval. He also said Uttar Pradesh had changed significantly since 2017, with emphasis on defence manufacturing, exports, investment and employment.

"Amid such an atmosphere of upheaval and unrest across the world, despite numerous hurdles, India has maintained its growth rate. Not only has it maintained it, but it has taken it forward," he said.

Speaking about changes in Uttar Pradesh under BJP rule after 2017, Shah said, "Today, BrahMos made in Uttar Pradesh gives Pakistan sleepless nights. This is the biggest sign of change." He said India had effectively used BrahMos missiles during Operation Sindoor to avenge the civilian killings in Pahalgam.

He said the Modi government had signed free trade agreements with Mauritius, the UAE, Austria, a four-country European grouping, the UK, Oman, New Zealand and the European Union, expanding export opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs.

He also praised Uttar Pradesh's One District One Product initiative, saying it had created jobs in the state. "Once upon a time, people from here used to go to states across the country in search of employment. Those same youth of Uttar Pradesh are today getting employment in their own state because of ODOP," he said.

Shah said six nodes of the defence corridor were being developed in Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Lucknow, Agra, Aligarh and Kanpur. "Investment is coming into these areas for the manufacture of defence equipment," he said. He added that the country's defence production had crossed about Rs 1.78 lakh crore and defence exports had risen 56 times compared with 2013-14.

"Today, India's defence products are being exported to around 80 countries, with Uttar Pradesh also making a significant contribution," he said.

Highlighting electronic exports, semiconductor investments, capital expenditure and record GST collections, Shah said India recorded 7.8 per cent growth and remained the fastest-growing major economy. He said Uttar Pradesh had moved from "an earlier environment of crime to defence manufacturing, vehicle production and medical-device manufacturing" under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

On investment, Shah said law and order was the basic requirement. "The primary condition for creating an investment climate is that the law and order situation should be good," he said, while attacking the previous Samajwadi Party and BSP governments. He said an investment conference had to be held in Delhi in 2013 because investors were unwilling to come to Lucknow.

"At that time, when there was a controversy in the media, the Uttar Pradesh officials without hesitation said that the law and order situation in Lucknow was such that no investor was ready to come there, and therefore we had come to Delhi," he said.

"There was once an industry of crime operating in Uttar Pradesh, cottage industries of vehicle theft had come up in city after city, and illegal country-made pistols were being manufactured. But today, in that same Uttar Pradesh, a defence corridor is being developed in place of the country-made pistol industry, vehicle manufacturing is taking the place of vehicle theft, and a medical device park is being developed in place of chain snatching," he claimed.

He added, "Today, look at the situation. Uttar Pradesh is becoming a fear-free investment centre and an engine of the country's development." He also cited Bhadohi carpets, Moradabad brassware, Firozabad glass, Saharanpur woodcraft, Kannauj perfume and Banarasi silk sarees as products that had gained recognition across the country.

Shah said September 25 marked 12 years since Modi announced the Make in India initiative. "Twelve years ago, on this day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Make in India. Today, UPITS is taking forward the same Make in India vision," he said. He said India had moved from the "Fragile Five" to the world's top five economies in these 12 years and linked the progress to Make in India.

He also remembered Deendayal Upadhyay on his 110th birth anniversary, saying, "Deendayal ji was the first person after Independence to put forward the concept of free trade, free agriculture and a free-trade, free-agriculture economic policy."

Shah said the idea later became a basis for development under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Modi. He also said Deendayal laid the foundation of organisation-based politics and that his life remained an inspiration for workers.

Shah said Modi had set a goal for India to be number one in every field by August 15, 2047. "We will fulfil that resolve," he said. His speech combined the themes of economic growth, defence manufacturing, investment, jobs and the changing industrial profile of Uttar Pradesh.